THE OBJECTIVE

The Objective (2008)
Directed by: Daniel Myrick
Written by: Daniel Myrick, Mark A. Patton, Wesley Clark
Starring: Jon Huertas, Jonas Ball, Matthew R. Anderson

Reviewed By Ross Hughes

“Its the Blair Witch meets The Hurt Locker..

While his director partner Eduardo Sanchez has been busy releasing straight to DVD horror crap with the likes of Seventh Moon, the other half of the Blair Witch team, Daniel Myrick, has been more quieter, until now.  Coming across as Blair meets The Hurt Locker, The Objective is strong contender for the second best horror to be released straight to DVD.  It probably would have been strong contender for the top spot if a certain film called House Of The Devil was not released and yes, this is yet another review in which I have advertised that quite wonderful movie.

This, released quietly on the market and only came to my attention thanks to DJ over on the Weird and Strange thread, who WATCHES more horror than I ever do, and thanks to his very favourable review, this was soon in my horror collection and having just watched, was it worth the purchase.

For a start there is a lot to admire from The Objective.  Its plain to see that Myrick had the smallest of budgets but like before, he uses what he as got to maximum effect, creating a tense mood and a sense of wonder and panic at what is going on.  It seems that while Sanchez has lost his horror touch, Myrick has no way forgotten his roots, even though The Objective comes dangerously close to certain moments of that Witch flick.

When satellites pick up a radioactive heat signature in the wastelands of Afghanistan, a CIA agent and a gang of Special Ops are sent to investigate the mystery as worries grow that the terrorists have created the ultimate War Weapon.  But on arrival, and the more they go deeper into the desert, the soldiers soon realise that something is not quite right in the area they are in, and maybe, the enemy this time, are more far away from home than they think.

From its bleak landscape, to the fear of dread, The Objective is a rare beast that deserves a cult following.  The slow pace and lack of gore may not be for the modern horror crowd, but for those who wish a horror to let us the viewer make our own minds up, then this is the one for you.  The acting is spot on.  All unknowns but raise their game that you wish for them to escape the nightmare they are in and it is such an original film that its a criminal shame that this will be ignored by many.

It does not outstay its welcome either, the short running time means that no scenes drag on, and you be so compelled by the mystery that you be shocked when the end credits start to roll.  The only complaint is when there are moments that rip off the Blair Witch.  Voices in the dark, Soldiers vanishing on morning light, stumbling across body parts, there is even a map scene in which they are lost, all brief moments that questions the fact that can Myrcik move on from the film that made him, but all that is soon forgotten by a sheer moment of class that raises the film above normal level.

Everyone remembers that scene in Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, with the truck parked up, headlights from behind that first come up to the truck then are revealed to be a car, then second headlights arrive, only for them to start rising above the Truck.  Well here Myrick pays homage to that scene, but its done so wonderfully well that it actually took my breath away.  One of this years best scenes and one that makes The Objective a film that should be watched by all readers of this thread.

The climax and final shot may bring things down a bit, there is no satisfying conclusion but then the makers have tried to do something different and should be applauded for that than giving an ending that sells out just to keep the basic horror fan happy.

OVERALL: A mixture of War/Supernatural/Cover up/Horror, that is blended so well that its amazing that they pulled it off.  The Objective is one of the best straight to DVD horror’s this year,  a bleak odd genre that deserves its place in cult classics and raises hope that Myrick may deliver with the written Blair Witch 3

Rating:

[pt-filmtitle]The Objective[/pt-filmtitle]